Cross of the Darkest Knight
by Dylan Millwood
Summary: When an unusual killing spree hits Gotham, Batman finds himself as the main suspect as well as becoming embattled with a twisted minic in order to clear his name. Throw an ACTUAL vampire into the mix and the end result: Chaos.
1. Prologue: The Three

A figure stood atop a gargoyle statue the was part of one of the many buildings, looking out over the city he'd somehow ended up in...Gotham he learned it was called.

He wore a black cowl with his mouth and some of his lower jaw covered with a gas-mask type of mouth-plate devise, the reflective eye covering lenses that were part of the cowl he wore glowed red, giving him a demonic appearance and a pair of pointed ears on top which were made to look more like devil horns, a long cape thrown over his shoulders with jagged edges like that of a bat's wings covered a militaristic gray and black body armor with a red bat on the chest a pair of black boots made of the same material as his suit and black greaves placed over them. Around his waist was an ash gray belt utility belt with the compartments filled with assorted lethal weaponry. Clawed, steel gauntlets covered covered his hands with three curved diamond edged scalloped blades at the sides on his forearms. Physically, the weapons were sharp and deadly, however, they had uses besides as weapons. They were perfect for defending the wrists and forearms, both necessary to use throwing weapons, and making them perfect for cutting through restraints tied around the forearms. They were also very practical for blocking chains or pipes, among other weapons used by common street thugs that served as hired muscle. The cape was made form a steel-like fabric that was stronger than titanium and very flexible. it was durable enough to withstand a direct hit from a rocket launcher, so it was a solid defense when coupled with the cape's length, yet effective as a weapon as well due to the jagged edges having led tips so he could stun who he used it against and could also be used for a glider.

He couldn't remember a thing from before he arrived here except for the vaguest recollection a few skills and techniques that he guessed he apparently knew before...but he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that this place was a piece of crap.

At first, anyone would gawk to see the city, the towering buildings of stone and steel, the industrial buildings strewn about it casting a fog in places all around, people on the streets either walking by going about their business or heading to work. However, on the flip side it was also quite rough, some of the older buildings were collapsing, people were huddled together for warmth on the streets with fires started in trashcans, unsupervised children playing in the roads, and one could almost swear that you were being watched as you walked down a simple street and passed alleys.

There were, of course. the staggering amount of crazed super criminals with no regard for human life running around coupled with powers that seemed like they belonged in a comic book, a nasty combination right there in and of itself.

And even without the super ones, the normal criminals ran amok since all the members of the police force were incompetent because they were over-dependant on a full-grown man in pajamas run around playing cops and robbers. And that guy...ugh...the man waited around for a crime to happen, showed up, locked them up in prison, the criminals broke free, and returned to their criminal lifestyles...it was nothing but an ouroboros that resulted in graveyards filled with innocent people.

That was the problem...and he was the solution. His method was to focus on the long-term, and he was going to do that by sending the ones who actually deserved it to their graves.

While the Idiot's plan was to wait around for a crime to happen, showed up and beat the crooks senseless, then had them locked them up in prison so the criminals eventually broke free or were released, and then they returned to their criminal lifestyles. His was much simpler and better at getting a point across, his plan, unlike the old fool's one, was to go where a crime was happening and KILL the crooks...simple, easy and adaptable.

He did not plan to _fight _crime in the city. He planned to _influence _it. Either the low-lives of this city played by HIS rules from now on...or the worms got new meat to feed off of. If they didn't listen, it was no skin off his nose. Just a few dead scumbags that made their living by ruining the lives of others.

He leapt from the gargoyle he was standing on and folded his arms and legs to his body as he dove headfirst to the street bellow and when he was five feet away from the ground, suddenly twisted his body into a flip in midair and flung his arms out, catching air with his cape and he gently glided down to the ground and landed perfectly on his feet. He turned and entered the abandoned Gotham subway system he was living in/operating out of.

The things he'd used to make a base of this place was pretty basic: a desk with a computer and a police scanner on it, a swivel chair, a collapsible table, a microwave oven, a mini-fridge, and a couch with a pillow and blanket on it for him to sleep on.

Then there was the equipment he was going to use in his job of exterminating the criminal elements of the city's population: there were nearly hundreds of of weapons lining the walls of the abandoned subway system he'd taken to calling his home base as well as wracks and shelves that he'd "borrowed" from closed-down stores in Gotham.

The list of weaponry consisted of, to name a few of what he was using to arm himself with, G36s, usp.45s, MP5s, M4A1 grenadiers, W1200s, RPGs, AK-47s, Uzis, sub-machine guns, XM16E1s, M63s, shotguns, sniper rifles, anti-personnel fragmentation grenades, white, phosphorus grenades, Claymores, proximity mines, bazookas, SMGs, PDWs, nerve gas, spear guns, shuriken, throwing knives, flame throwers, miniguns, grenade launchers, revolvers, magnums, FGM-184 Javelins, and other lethal weapons.

There were also a few non-lethal tools as part of his equipment cash like tassers, stun grenades, smoke grenades, tranquilizers, chaff grenades, night-vision goggles, thermal goggles, scope binoculars, anti-personnel sensors, directional microphones, audio bugs, tracers, glass cutters, skeleton keys, and zip-line grappling hooks.

Basically, he was ready, willing, and able to go to war.

The dealers, the pimps, the murderers, pickpockets, arsonists, and rapists...none would receive pity from him. As far as he was concerned, they did not deserve him going out of his way to treat them gently.

In all honesty, he felt the guy who usually dealt with those guys was too soft...either that or actually thrived off feeding a hero complex. He didn't care for crime infesting the streets, random psychotic villains attacking the city just to destroy it, super criminals attacking anyone who gets in their way, violence and death everywhere...he was too short-sighted, too into coddling the criminal element to give a damn about the fates of good people. Otherwise the outdated wad of guano wouldn't be ignoring what the crooks have done in the past, blindly, stupid, disregarding the entire graveyards that have been filled, the thousands of who suffered, the friends that were crippled...and yet he did. Why? Just because of this need to rescue the twit had! And if that wasn't it then point out how it was wrong since it sure damn seemed that way! Seriously, when would the man wake up? Surely a few homicidal madmen were expendable compared to all the lives that could be saved by deposing of them? Why go with the temporary solution that cost others their lives when it'd be so much safer to remove the problem entirely? How many innocent people had to pay with their lives to force the man to wake up and put the ones who endangered the city in coffins?

Time he got started.

* * *

In an underground cave full of bats and beneath a manor, a man sat at a super computer and stippled his fingers before resting his chin on them. His instincts were telling him that something felt wrong...very wrong. Like the feeling one gets waiting on the day before war...a quiet dread.

The man was dressed in a black cowl that left only his mouth and some of his lower jaw visible with white reflective eye coverings and a pair of pointed ears on top. As for the rest of his body, a pair of black forearm length gloves were over his forearms with padding over his knuckles and the backs of his fists claws at his fingertips made from a strange material, with forearm protectors over them that had three curved blades at the sides, a grey bodysuit with a black bat on the chest and several padded armored sections that were thin yet flexible, a dark gold colored utility belt around his waist, a pair of black boots made of the same material as his gloves and suit and black greaves placed over them, a long cape thrown over his shoulders with jagged edges like a bat's wings cloaked his body completely, hiding all but the cowl from view.

He frowned and rolled his chair back and looked up at the ceiling of the cave, that was when he spotted a bat that had never been there before.

A Vampyrum Spectrum.

The bat was known for being cannibalistic, and it swooped down and snagged a black bat in midair and forced it to the ground on one of the Bat cave's upper levels then began to chomp on the black bat, eating it alive.

Suddenly another bat that wasn't normally in the bat cave, a silverwing, flew up and grabbed the Vampyrum Spectrum's ears and attempted to pull it off the other bat. causing a three-way bat fight and the three bats tumbled to the ground level and fell, their wings in tatters from their battle, and as soon as they struck the ground, their bones shattered from the impact, killing all three bats instantly.

The man frowned, while he didn't believe in omens, he suddenly felt uneasy having witnessed that, and where had the Vampyrum and Silverwing come from?

* * *

Near the city outskirts, at least two miles from the infamous Arkham Asylum, a figure looked out the window of the place they were staying at.

She was a teenage girl that was a full fifteen years of age. Her waist-length hair was a vibrant pink with one strange cowlick in the middle of her head, while her eyes were a bright emerald green and her lips were a full blood red and her skin was pale like that of alabaster but held warmth underneath. She wore a long-sleeved green school uniform jacket, a brown skirt, navy blue knee-length socks, black school loafers and a plain white shirt that was open slightly at the top, revealing a small amount of cleavage. A thick black collar was around her neck that had a small two-link chain attached to the front of it, attached to the end of the chain was a sliver rosary adorned with a single polished red gemstone in its center of it.

She sighed, where WAS he? She'd tracked him to this place, then his trail went cold.

As she gazed out the window, her thoughts turned to her reason for being here in this city...thinking of _HIM_. She wasn't surprised that he'd gotten into this mess so much as it was taking so long to find him. She felt glad she was fluently bilingual with English as her second language, otherwise this would be much harder seeing as she wouldn't be able to understand anything. She cracked open a can of tomato juice and sipped it to calm her nerves.

There was something about this place...it was like there was a shadow hanging over the whole city and there was something that felt like evil itself had taken up residence here.

Still...maybe that feeling was more due to the fact that she was staying in an apartment near the city's institute for the criminally insane. The sooner she finished her business in this place the better.

"Where are you my love?" she whispered, then closed her eyes and said a small prayer in her heart.


	2. First deaths and first meetings

Jason Todd sneered as he looked out over the city of Gotham...the same city that five years ago, he was defending as Robin.

Now in his late teens to his earliy twenties, he wore a skintight gray zip-up long sleeved shirt was under that, and a pair of pants with a black belt around his waist was under that while his feet were covered with a pair of metal-platted combat boots that also had steel soles. Over his hands were a pair of gray gloves with metal plates on the back of the hands. Over his head was a featureless, solid ruby quarts-red helmet that covered his whole head with white domino eyes and two perfectly circler black rings around them that served as the helmet's eye-holes.

He'd taken the mantel of Red Hood. Several criminals had utilized the persona, but there was one criminal of particular interest that made this so brutally ironic that there was no other identy he could have chosen.

The Joker.

The same man who had killed him five years prior.

He had died...but he'd come back. Back to find his "father" hadn't avenged him...back to find the man's moral code just wouldn't allow for that, that it was too hard to cross that line...well he wasn't going to have a choice. Jason was going to make his father-figure avenge his death. Granted he was no longer dead, but that was beside the point.

Jason was brought out of his thoughts as a ratteling sound caught his attention and he looked down as a grenade landed at his feet and Jason dived out of the way so he wasn't caught directly in the blast, but the shockwave still sent him tumbeling. Looking up, Todd searched for the idenity of his attacker.

He didn't have to wait long, as the person who had tried to blow the past-Robin up was made visible as the haze of smoke cleared.

The figure wore a black cowl with his mouth and some of his lower jaw covered with a gas-mask type of mouth-plate devise, the reflective eye covering lenses that were part of the cowl he wore glowed red, giving him a demonic appearance and a pair of pointed ears on top which were made to look more like devil horns, a long cape thrown over his shoulders with jagged edges like that of a bat's wings covered a militaristic gray and black body armor with a red bat on the chest, while a pair of black boots made of the same material as his suit and black greaves placed over them covered the person's feet, and around his waist was an ash gray belt utility belt.

Jason laughed, while the outfit was different, there was only one person he knew of that went around in a costume like that one: his old teacher and father-figure, Bruce Wayne.

"Look at you...Batman 2.0 huh? I suspected you were overly fond of the Goth look, but trying to pass off as demonic is a bit much, Bruce." Todd laughed.

The Dark Knight remained silent as a grave, yet coming from him was an aura of black hatred...all of it aimed at the former boy wonder. Without warning, Bruce lunged and swept his hands at his former sidekick.

Dodging, the sound of tearing fabric and metal grinding against metal caught his attention and Jason looked at his shirt, claw mark slashes going along it where the fingers of Bruce's gauntlets had run across his torso. If not for the armor he had worn under that, the Red Hood's intrails would have been spilt all over the rooftop.

Deciding to steer clear of close combat, Jason reached into his coat, threw fist-fulls of throwing stars at his ex-teacher.

_'Knowing Bruce, he'll dodge those then I can open up with my handguns and...' _Red Hood thought, only to be shocked when the Dark Knight stood there, fingers curved into claws at his sides and rather than avoiding the weapons like the second, former-Robin thought he would, in a flash of near-superhuman movement, Bruce's hands where now loaded with each of the shuriken that had just been thrown at him and Jason rolled out of the way.

_'Something's not right...'_ He thought, there were eight instant-kill points on the human body:Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney, and heart. And Bruce had been aiming for thos that were on the front of the human body while Jason had been facing him. Then again, Bruce WAS haunted by death, so maybe he took loosing Jason harder than Todd had first thought.

Red Hood had no time to let his thoughts dwell on that as Bruce turned and launched a charging kick and when Jason blocked it…he spun around in a different direction and lashed out with the other kick that the Red Hood also blocked. Bruce then used his hands to land on and then launched another kick to the side of his former sidekick's head…but that was a feint as he launched his other leg in a rising heel kick to Jason's chin.

Jason blocked it and moved back as Bruce flipped backwards and landed nimbly on his feet and launched a few punches at Jason. Jason dodged them and was planning to land a strike, but Bruce leaped over him and in mid flip lashed out with an upside down spinning side kick that Jason blocked…though the twisted Robin winched in pain as the blow was much faster and stronger than the last ones he blocked. Bruce landed nimbly and Jason faced him. Bruce then pulled a fast one on Jason and he retracted his punch and then opened the fist and grabbed Jason's retreating hand and yanked him forward into a roll, catching the failed hero off guard as Bruce planted a kick right into Jason's stomach… making him wince in pain from the hit…he flipped as soon as Bruce released him and was able to land and leap back as Batman whipped the failed sidekick around and tossing him into one of the water towers as though he were a sack of garbage then martched over to him and grabbed him by the throat and head-butted him so hard it left a massive splater of blood where the man's head had struck the wood and denting the metal helmet he wore. The dark figure then smashed a jaw-breaking left hook into Jason's face twice, the second time actually knocking him facedown on the ground before a brutal kick swung up and crashed into the man's midsection, flipping him over in the process. The cowled figure grapped Todd by the neck and raised him to eye level, his pray clawing feebely before he had the thumbs of a pair of clawed gauntlets gouge out his eyes before the one giving the beating reached out and grabbed the back of his head with both hands and drove his left knee into the Jason's stomach, pulled down on the man's head, and smashed his right knee into his already-broken nose. The nose caved in fully with a sickening crunch and spurt of blood.

Jason let out a gurgling scream and tried to pry his tormentor's hands off his head. the one doing this to him let go with his left hand, keeping a grip on the back of the man's neck with his right, and grabbed onto his flailing right wrist. Jumping into the air, the Dark Knight kicked his right leg into his prey's stomach and flung his left leg over the outstretched arm and across his neck. Both fell to the ground, Jason's arm stretched out from his shoulder and his body pinned down by his now-apparently-bloodthirsty teacher's legs. The caped firgure squeezed his knees together and arched his hips upright, hyper-extending Todd's arm and breaking it before tossing him aside.

Bruce got up from his position with amazing speed, even for a man of his physical skill, and charged at him, slamming the scalloped blades of his greaves into Jason's shoulders and delivered a brutal kick to Jason's chest, sending him flying backwards, severing the muscles and tendons in Todd's shoulders as a result since the curved blades were still in his as his arms went limp, Jason realized that whoever it was under that cowl, it wasn't Bruce. Wayne had _never _used lethal force, nor had he _ever _been this brutal.

"Y-y-you're...not Batman...a-are you?" The current Red Hood asked as the imposter marched over to him.

The person snickered "No..." their voice was an odd combination of matalic, watery, and smokey, that somehow sent chills down Todd's spine as it came from their mouthplate, "I'm not Batman...I'm stronger, I'm not soft like he is. If Batman's nickname is the "Dark Knight"...I suppose that makes me the _Darkest Knight_!"

The unknown person pulled Jason's zip-line from his jacket and wrapped it around Jason's groin before jamming the curved hooks of the grapple into said body part and paused to savor the current Red Hood's scream of agony, before grabbing him by the throat and dragged him to the edge of the roof and then dangled him over the side "Now...what were you planning on doing?"

Jason, seeing what this lunatic was going to do to him, knew the only choice he had was to keep talking until he thought of a way out of this.

"I-I planned on pressuring Black Mask until he was forced to resort to freeing Joker, he's the only one with the connections to get into Arkham and get him out in order to do what I'm aiming on having happen. I planned on enlisting the eight best drug dealers in the city to work under me rather than Black Mask and I heard he's got a shipment that could easily get him into international trafficking coming in a few days so I planned on that too, its the fastest way of getting his attention, if not then I've got plenty of other plans."

The hand's grip loosened slightly "Why?"

Gulping, Jason then explained everything from when he had tries stealing the wheels off the Batmobil all the way up to his resurrection.

"I see...you're a pathetic child who overvalues himself. You don't have to worry about Joker..." the pseudo-Batman said coldly as they let go of Jason's throat, sending him plummiting "...you're plans have changed!"

Jason screamed in raw agony as his manhood was torn from his body as the cable of the zip-line went taunt then the curved hook strained to follow before it finally became too much and the metal hook dug through his flesh before his groin was finally ripped clean off under the strain. But Just before he struck the ground, the points of a grapple dug into his thigh and he was reeled in like a fish and tossed back onto the rooftop by this dark imposter of the Dark Knight.

While the ex-Robin-turned-Red Hood rolled around in agony, the Darkest Knight grabbed Jason's two handguns and put them through the helmet's eye holes right up to his eyes and fired. The bullets went straight through Jason's eyes at point blank and through his optic nerve, then brain, killing him instantly.

That done, the self-proclaimed "Darkest Knight" spun the twin 45 Magnum Desert Eagle pistols around and placed them in his utility belt before eyeing the knife at the dead man's hip before drawing it and looking it over.

It was a kris knife, and it was also laser sharpened enough to cut steel cables.

"Nice knife, mind if I keep this?"

Getting no reply from the dead man, the warped Batman-look-alike unstrapped the knife's holster and attached it to his own right thigh before returning the weapon to it. "Well...I didn't hear a 'no', thanks for the blade, but now I'm wondering what other goodies you've got on you."

With that, the mimic began to unceremoniously undress the corpse down to the boxer shorts, checking everything, the pockets, the boots, the gloves, everywhere that wasn't covering the dead man's privets and in each article of clothing Red Hood had worn, taking any and all weapons and tools he found as his own, includes a built-in radio transmitter/receiver and starlite night-vision lenses.

As he took off the red helmet, the dark reflection of Batman was surprised to see a dark green domino mask surrounding the dead person's empty eye sockets. Since it had been a point blank shot, only his eyes had been destroyed, but the mask was spared from any damage.

"So you really were one of the former Robins, eh? That gives me as idea..." he said, chuckling darkly.

He wanted to see what the"World's Gratest Detective" was going to think of this. A few moments later, he backed away from the body, fully pleased with what he was going to do.

A moment later, he noticed a taxi pull up into the alleyway bellow him and a scream was heard a few seconds later.

The person grabbed his head. He...he knew that voice! Without stopping to think, he jumped down and made his way to the scream's place of origin.

* * *

"Taxie." she called, standing at the curb. A few moments later, one pulled up and she got into the back seat.

"Where to, toots?" the driver asked.

"City Hall please, there's something that I need to check there." she said

The driver grinned "Sure thing, babe. There's nothing I won't do for a pretty face."

With that, the transport moved as she looked out the window and thought of her reason for comming to this city...thought of HIM. There were perks to being a vampire, and the youki detector ability was indeed one of them, it was how she'd tracked him here. She was thankful for him meeting the requirements for that ability to work. Now she just had to find h...huh?

Rather than heading to city hall, the taxie pulled into a spot called locally as "Crime Alley", and parked. The driver turned around and leered at her with a lecherous grin plastered on his face.

"Like I said: there's nothing I won't do for a pretty face! Come'ere!"

Just as he grabed the girl, the taxi shook as a sudden wheight landed on the hood of it. Distracted, the driver turned to look over his shoulder and paled. Kneeling on the hood of the was a horned silhouette with what looked like glowing red eyes.

A second later the frightning figure moved and the driver was pulled through the glass of the front windshield by a hand that had grabbed his throat and the driver backed away as the fearsome enigma advanced on him. Once the man ran into the back of the alley, the dark figure pounced and kicked him in the gut using his right foot.

While the driver was on his knees, the figure turned around and roundhouse kicked him with his left leg.

The dark being punched the driver using his right fist and again with his left fist, slamming the criminal back up to near the end of the alley. The figure grabbed the man and kneed him in the face as his pray almost fell over but his tormentor tossed him by his tie and tossed the man away. The would-be rapist tried to crawl away as he felt a hand grab him by the legs and was dragging back. "HELP ME!" the man cried out.

The driver was tossed to back of the alley, his head was being smash against the concrete and walls arond him again and again; he was a mess, blood nearly completely covers his face.

The one giving the torture took a kris knife out of the utility belt they wore and slice off the taxi driver's left leg then his right arm before bashing the older man's face against the taxi's hood.

The man was barely alive on his knee staring at the one who was showing him no mercy at all. His tormentor's right fist was suddenly rammed up the driver's mouth and the one who did it ripped out what look like a piece of the man's brain and fresh.

The killer nodded seeing that his pray was dead and then tossed the corpse and chunks of flesh and grey matter aside and walked up to the taxi, yanking open the back door before pulling her out by her arm.

She shivered as she looked at him.

He wore a black cowl with his mouth and some of his lower jaw covered with a gas-mask type of mouth-plate devise, the reflective eye covering lenses that were part of the cowl he wore glowed red, giving him a demonic appearance and a pair of pointed ears on top which were made to look more like devil horns, a long cape thrown over his shoulders with jagged edges like that of a bat's wings covered a militaristic gray and black body armor with a red bat on the chest a pair of black boots made of the same material as his suit and black greaves placed over them. Around his waist was an ash gray belt utility belt. Clawed, steel gauntlets that were still drinched in blood covered covered his hands with three curved diamond edged scalloped blades at the sides on his forearms.

Moka stared. Something about this person felt...familiar. As she looked at the person who had...did it qualify as "rescue" seeing as how he'd killed someone? She felt him suddenly tense.

"M-Moka...?"

He grabbed his head suddenly as it started throbbing then the sound of sirens caught both their attentions. Moments later, several police cars pulled up to where the pair were and the stranger hissed in anger. He whipped out an "Ingram" MAC - 10/11 Submachine gun. Opening fire, several of the police dropped, as did some civilians that were unfourtunate enough to be there. After the bullets stopped comming from the machine gun, the person grunted and pulled out a small object with a large button on one end.

A detinator.

"NO!" Moka cried, leaping forward and knocking it out of his hand and landing on the ground, her face stinging as the pavement scraped at her skin and she was covered in the blood of the man who had tried rapeing her earlier.

Seeing this as his chance, the Darkest Knight pulled out a grapple and launched it up before it zoomed him up to the rooftops. Leaving the death in his wake as he vanished.

A siren sounded again and an amblunce pulled up to the area.

"What the fuck happened here?" one of the medics shouted, getting out of the amblunce.

"Just another normal day in this city, that's what...I should have moved to Coast City." another said grimmy as they inspected the area.

"Hey! We've got a live one here!" one of the medics shouted and helped Moka stand and hurried her into the amblunce and after conferming she was actually uninjered, took her to the police station.

* * *

"Ok...so who are you?"

"Moka Akashiya." she answered. Still shaken from what she'd seen earlier. It was obvious that whoever had been behind that mask had utterly no qualms whatsoever about killing criminals, villains and anyone who got in his way, even the police or civilians.

In front of her was Chief Angel Rojas, detectives Ethan Bennett, Ellen Yin, Bullock, and Commissioner Jim Gordon.

"So who was the dead guy we found all over the alley?" Bullock asked and Bennett took out a file made by the forensics branch of the department.

"Cole Mercer...a former professional movie make-up artist and ventriloquist, and a known rapist. His former jobs made him hard to track." Ethan said, then set the folder down and looked at Moka with pity and concern. "Look, I know you don't want to, but since you're the only one that survived everything the happened there, we need you to tell us who did this."

Moka nodded, dispite the man's kindness and obvious concern, she didn't need to be told that.

"I didn't see the person's face...they were dressed in some sort of body armor costume...one that looked like a demonic version of a bat." Moka said.

_That_ caught the attention of all the lawmen in an instant.

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW THE BATMAN WAS REALLY A CRIMINAL!" Rojas shouted, he slammed his hands down on the desk and brought his face right up to the girl's, glaring at her. "WHERE IS HE? HUH? YOU HAD TO BE BROUGHT HERE BY HIM! WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHERE HE WEN..."

The man was cut off as a fist smashed into the side of his jaw and sent him sprawling to the ground, rubbing his aching jaw, the chief looked up to see who had punched him to see the commissioner glaring at him.

Rojas opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Gordon beat him to it.

"Save it. I don't care if you ARE the chief of police. She was nearly rapped and was saved when this turned into a murder case and the amblunce brought her in with blood, bone pieces, and chunks of brain matter all over her face, you don't give someone the third degree like that in her situation, besides...this wouldn't be the first time someone in a similar costume set Batman up, there was that whole "Bat-Woman" thing once and there was that Phantasm deal before that. We're cops, its our jobs to get to the truth and catch the criminals, not blindly jump to conclusions and go after innocent people just because of one thing that's similar and our own personal dislike. That's not the way the law works. " Gordon said, fully disgusted with the chief for his actions.

Ethan looked at the Commissioner and felt a grin tug at his lips, man was a good cop. He could see why Batman would call Gordon an ally in dealing with the crime in Gotham. He was willing to accept things so long as they were kept on the right side of the law, and, in Batman's case, look at his actions rather than that he was a masked vigilante.

Moka took that moment to speak up. "I have heard of Batman's reputation of being able to wound, but not kill. So I for one have to say it was a twisted look-alike."

Yin sighed "All right...we'll put out an APB for anyone in a bat cotsume until we can get to the truth of all this, in the meantime, where do you live?"

"I'm an apartment for a while, 666 South Hangman's Point Way." Moka told in responce and the police officer's eyes all widened in sheer shock and Ethain offered to take her to her adress. As soon as the door to the station shut behind them, Bullock spoke.

"666 South Hangman's Point way. By the outskirts of the city limits where the psychos are sent to rot. Geez...living near Arkham...nearly being raped, seeing a murder and a slaughter right in front of her, being covered in blood, bone and gore and still keeping it together up to now...the girl's tougher than you'd think, gotta give her that much."

The other lawmen nodded.

* * *

Batman frowned as he listened in on what the girl said from outside the police station window. His eyes narrowed, glowing red eyes and costume that looked like a demonic version of a bat. Those were all the girl could see clearly.

Another imposter...that was never a good thing.

But he had other concers at the moment, he moved to follow the girl.

* * *

Moka sighed as she shut the door to her apartment. Today had been a nightmare, for obvious reasons...worse yet, after getting herself cleaned up, she'd checked with the police only to find that they couldn't keep records of incoming individuals in the city since there were too many for that kind thing. Which had surprised her...if what Moka had heard of the super-criminals in this place was even half right, then she was expecting no less than ten people in the city, not counting the police or criminals. She had pointed that out to the officers, to which some had laughed, saying that even they didn't really understand it themselves.

After Ethan had dropped her off (since he didn't want anything else happening to her, something she was greatful for), she had come to get some sleep after reviewing what she knew of this place. As she got to her apartment, she opened her duffle bag and as she looked through the contents, and among everything that was in it, she pulled out a worn-looking whip. The Belmont.

The legendary whip used by the Belmonts, a family of vampire slayers, who used the magical whip to slay supernatural creatures. It possessed magic-cancelling properties, which was especially useful for someone with a seal, such as herself. In this regard, it was able to cancel the sealing properties of even the seal of the Rosary.

She set the object that she had brought along for the "Just-in-case-factor" down and mentally cursing her own foolishness for not keeping it on her person at all times while she was in this city. As her thoughts turned to _HIM_, she smiled, finding out he was here had been simpler than she had been worried it would, it was a good thing she was a vampiress considering his condition, Yokai detection was very useful and it was how she'd tracked him here.

Moka stood up and she froze suddenly, knowing someone was behind her. "You know...you could have just used the front door like a normal person." She said and turned around. Seeing a man in her room with her.

The man was dressed in a black cowl that left only his mouth and some of his lower jaw visible with white reflective eye coverings and a pair of pointed ears on top. As for the rest of his body, a pair of black forearm length gloves were over his forearms with padding over his knuckles and the backs of his fists claws at his fingertips made from a strange material, with forearm protectors over them that had three curved blades at the sides, a grey bodysuit with a black bat on the chest and several padded armored sections that were thin yet flexible, a dark gold colored utility belt around his waist, a pair of black boots made of the same material as his gloves and suit and black greaves placed over them, a long cape thrown over his shoulders with jagged edges like a bat's wings cloaked his body completely, hiding all but the cowl from view.

Moka raised an eyebrow as her hands fround their way onto her hips "Let me guess...you're the actual Batman, right? she asked. This was the dark guardian? Some old guy in a costume? Her other self and the rest of her kind wouldn't take that well seeing as most people assumed Batman had some kind of connection to being a vamipre.

"Just wanted to see to it you were all right. I heard about what had happened to you."

Moka nodded "My thanks for the concern." she said with a smile.

Batman frowned, this girl's mental fortitude was awe-inspiring to the point of terror. "You're too calm."

"About what I saw? I'm sorry to say I'm use to it...the world's not a place of sugar and rainbows. Violence and death are an unfourtunate reality." Moka said, thinking of both monsters and humans as the words left her mouth. When she thought about it, Moka suspected there was probably as much violence in human society as there was in monster society. The difference seemed to be that humans tended to see violent behavior as the exception, whereas monsters viewed it more as the norm. She sometimes wondered if that meant monsters were more barbaric, or just more honest.

"Anyway, other than that man and what that shadow of yours both attempted and did respectivly, I'm fine." the vampiress said.

"My shadow?" Batman frowned.

Moka shrugged "A shadow is a dark image in the shape of what already exists. Hence, that other guy in a bat suit is your shadow."

Batman mulled that over to himself and had to admit that logic did have a valid point in an odd way.

Moka shut her eyes and when she opened them, Batman was gone.

"Not bad stealth...but he's better at it than Batman is..." Moka commented before grabbing a towel to finally wash the blood off her.

As she stripped down in her bathroom, she grimanced as she turned on the water. Lord...she hated her body sometimes, this was one of them. The weakness to water sucked in this situation. steeling herself as best she could, she steped into the stream of water and bit back screams of agony as the water came into contact with her bare skin and bolts of seemingly eletrical energy came from her body as the water sapped her demonic aura of power.

She was already looking forward to when this was over.

* * *

Getting back to his base, he gripped his head and nearly crushing the metal of his cowl as he felt the idea of that girl who he seemed to know clawing at his mind. He panted as he attempted to shake her voice and image from his mind. Yet they wouldn't vanish. Why? What was wrong with him? He had a job to do, he couldn't afford to waste time on some girl!

Growling at himself, he shoved everything about her to the back of his mind with all his willpower. It was still there, but it was the best he could do.

As he slipped off his armored uniform, he banged his head against the wall. Damn it! Why did he feel he knew her? Who was she to him?

She was going to haunt him for a good long while...he knew that right now.


	3. Blood and Madness

The night ...

The chill ...

The challenge...

He loved it. He lived for it. He fucking _needed_ it.

No wonder Batman did things in this shroud with only the moon to bear witness to his deeds. It was the one thing the Darkest Knight found himself agreeing with the obsolete guy in a bat costume about.

Somehow the night had became a vast ocean through which he swam, buoyant and weightless...a black comet slashing the night and scattering the sky, blinding the stars...a dark angel on spread wings, falling closer to the throbbing core that was Gotham, the only one willing to descend deeper and become a darker heart feeding the rest, the new center holding it all in the palm of his hand, not caring for which he sent it to on a whim, hell or salvation. Before his mind's inner workings, the city was a gothic atlantis drenched in dark wonder and secret sin. A place cursed by heaven and forsaken by true light.

The wild night screamed for his soul, the sound not unlike a woman's voice, soft at first, keening higher and closer and louder until it filled him with a primal savage jolt of purpose that coursed through him like fire.

Landing atop a building as he flaired his cape and skid to a stop after his roof jumping around the city, seeking an appropreate beginning, Shadow looked through a pair of binoculars and something caught his attention.

Oh yeah...that place would do. While he knew it was the finish that was important, a good beginning was always enjoyable. Smirking to himself under his gas smask-like metal breather, the Darkest Knight lept across rooftops and made his way to the skylight...

* * *

Roland Daggett smirked to himself, he had FINALLY been released, of course, for the man that was known as "Gotham's Lex Luthor", it had been easy...a few payoffs here, a bit of blackmail there, and an army of highly-paid lawyers.

What was more, he had made quite a useful number of blackmarket connections while in prison, it wouldn't be long now before he could gain back Daggett Industries, only thing would be what the pharmaceutical company would be making. After all, if he had artifically made a new virus in Gotham City that could make innocent cats and dogs into bloodthirsty predators, with the help of Professor Milo, as well as the only antidote, disguising illegal drugs as legal ones and making new types of disease-based biological weapons would be easy.

And even more funny was that crime would fund the business, but Daggett Industries was legal.

Yes...Daggett was very much pleased by all of this.

His current workforce was that of a few of his former cellmates. As long as they did what he said, they were paid and given a quick fix every now and then. Something many of them saw as a good deal.

Suddenly, part of the skylight blew apart, showering everyone with glass and a dreadfully fimilar figure dropped from the roof and into the center of the room.

He wore a black and gray Batman suit. His mask had short ears and _red_ eyes instead of white. And they couldn't see any part of his face because he had a metal breather. His cape came up into two spikes on each shoulder. His utility belt wasn't yellow, it was gray. And hanging dangerously on it were knives and guns.

Slung across his back was a pair of AK-47s as well as a variant of the SPAS-12 shotgun, a Dragon's Breath. Drawing the Aks, He looked at each of the shocked faces surrounding him.

He shrugged slightly "I know what you're all thinking: 'Oh no Batman!' right? well...I'm not him. I'm a lot more and a lot worse. The old man would have just knocked you out and left you for the cops...I Won't!

In certain extreme situations, the law is inadequate. In order to shame its inadequacy, it is necessary to act outside the law. To pursue... natural justice. Punishment. Now you will receive jugement, for I do not ask for the poor, or hungry. I want not the tired and sick. It is the corrupt I seek to claim. It is evil that will be sought by the Darkest Knight, with every breath, I shall hunt them down. Each day, I will spill their blood till it rains down from the skies. Do not kill, do not rape, do not steal, these are principles which every man of every faith can embrace. These are not polite suggestions, these are codes of behavior and those of you that ignore them will pay the dearest cost. There are varying degrees of evil, including the indifference of good men, I urge you lesser forms of filth not to push the bounds and cross over, into true corruption, into my domain. For if you do, one day you will look behind you and you will see me. And on that day, you will reap it. And I shall send you to whatever god you wish. And shepherd I shall be, for Thee, my Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand. That mine feet may swiftly carry out Thy command. So I shall flow a river forth to Thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine patri et fili spiritus sancti. "

As soon as he said the last part in latin, he opened fire with his AK-47s. The mobsters dropped dead as he spun around in place. Putting his Aks onto his back again and hearing a door slam shut a second later, Shadow looked up.

"Got a runner, eh? Suits me fine!" Hs rushed after the coward and saw Roland Daggett dragging a teenaged girl into his office in the building, a gun to her temple.

"Well...good thing I can always count on is your code of honor making it so that you allow no one to to loose their life. Back off or this girl dies, Batman!" Daggett scoft.

"So what? Mortal anyways, so that life's nothing but filling a time slot." the Darkest Knight said, taking the Dragon's Breath into his hands and pulled the trigger, launching a slug from the variant of the SPAS-12 shotgun he carried, the full shell of armor-piercing incendiary round went straight through the girl, killing both her and Daggett.

Shadow sneered as he strapped the three guns back onto his back and removed his kris knife from its holster and then proceeded to carve bat symbol outlines in each of the corpses he had made.

He stood up and whiped the blade clean on the LATE Roland Daggett's clothes before returning it to its holster, now where was that...? Ah. He quickly dialed the three digits he wanted and held the phone to his ear.

"This is the police, what's the nature of your emergancy?"

Shadow set the phone receiver on the desk and held a gun out and fired a few shots at the wall, then picked up the receiver and spoke into it. "Did you get that?" he said, putting the receiver on the desk rather than hanging it up so that the line could be traced.

Batman's dark reflection allowed a hidden smirk to grace his face under his facemask and cowl. This was going well!

* * *

Moka shivered, not liking this. Still...while she wasn't afraid and there was the fact that if she was going to stay in Gotham long enough to achieve why she had come to this patch of hell of a city in the first place, she'd need to work and earn her keep until she found him. And there was only _ONE_ place in Gotham that always had any empolyment vacancies.

Still...that wasn't to say this place wasn't intimidating.

She was standing outside a large gothic building with large stone/wire/barred fences surrounding it with jagged spikes on the top, razor wire looped into the bars, and visible electricity coursing through some of the fence. The main gate however has two disturbing statues to either side of it, each holding a lit torch that casts an eerie glow against the bold words ARKHAM ASYLUM that resides on the ebony colored bars.

Within these gates however, was a large field, all plant life is gone, possibly to keep that "Poison Ivy" character she had heard about in, with cracked stone and dirt everywhere, several strange buildings are near the very back of the area, their purpose Naruto can't even guess. However, all around the field Moka could see cameras, down on the field she also saw turrets of some kind, all of which have cameras on top of them, and last seems to be several vents to pump out gas, making the vampiress wonder what kind of maniac built the strange asylum.

Shaking her head to clear it of such thoughts, Moka continues to look around. Arkham's main structure was a massive fortress like building, with gothic gargoyles and twisting towers and spikes covering it up into the dark sky, camera's situated at almost every key point for infiltration and extraction. The main building also has a second outer building around it however, attached via short hallways and possibly where the inmates are held, though it seems more gothic and disturbing than even the main building itself, barbed wire looped along jagged electric fences on the roof, barred windows visible even from a distance.

Gulping at the imposing strucure, Moka steeled herself then walked into the front office.

"Hello," the receptionest said, "which of the crazies are you here to see?"

Moka looked at them oddly, not sure if it was a joke or not, but she shook her head. "I'm here looking for employment actually."

The receptionest looked at the girl as though she had just grown a second head. "You...want to...work...at Arkham?" they said slowly. Who in their right minds would make a request like that?

"Well...I do live close by, and I need a job so..." Moka saidm trailing off.

Ah, that made much more sense, no real choice...after all, who would WILLINGLY want a job at Arkham? There wasn't anywhere else for her to find paying work. The receptionest called in one of the guards over the phone, telling them that there was someone they had to meet at the front desk. A few moments later, a dark-skinned man with th metal hook in place of his left hand walked up to the desk and looked at Moka.

"Aaron Cash, New employee. New employee, Aaron Cash." the receptionest said.

"New employee? Well...we'll see what we can do, but are you sure you can handle this place?" Cash asked.

Moka actually laughed, compared to her family and their quirks-_both positive and negative alike_-Arkham held no terrors for her. "I'm asking to be here without a straightjacket, aren't I? But I AM wondering: dose knowing how to pull a fully armed tank out of thin air at the drop of a hat and knowing how to operate it like the back of your hand have to be a requirement to work here, because I don't know how to do that."

This time, it was the receptionist and Cash who laughed. "No...outta be, but no...still...would certainly help with getting employed here at Arkham, if not in Gotham in general, knowing this city." Cash said, grinning.

Moka smiled a little. "I know...I'm surprised so many people actually live here. If you ask me, the whole city's an asylum for living here. With the way Gotham is, there shouldn't be anyone here other than the phychological cases. It makes me worried for the sanity of this city as a whole."

The two nodded and Cash motioned for her to follow him, saying that he'd introduce her to the warden, Quincy Sharp, and see about getting her a job.

"Gotta warn you, we're passing through the freak show." he said as Moka followed him as they entered the cell block.

Moka looked around, seeing numerous rooms with glass windows to see the inmates. Walking down the line, Moka saw a woman with pale green skin and red hair, her jade green eyes watching silently while she cared for a few plants within. Poison Ivy.

A man who's skin was thick, green and scaly like that of a crocodile. His nose was actually a small snout and his eyes were slightly shifted to each side. His nails were thick razor-sharp claws and Baring his teeth were actually long and sharp fangs. His body was a lumb of sheer muscle mass, so much so that his orange pant leggings were torn at the knees, yet left enough for the sake of decency, and he had a high-tech electrical shock collar around his neck. Killer Croc.

The next inmate wore a pair of heavy combat boots, baggy, black cargo pants, a black tank top, black, fingerless gloves that went up to mid-forearm, and a black mask that had something of a white skull pattern painted on the front, with red, reflective lenses for the eyes. Attached to the back of his head were four tubes, which connected to a box at the base of his neck. From there, a tube went down to his forearm, where the control device for some kind of tank was supposed to be, yet the tank was abscent...Bane.

A man stood behind the class, half of his face looked normal, his hair combed back, but the other half was disfigured by horrible burns, the muscle holding his lower and upper jaw together visible, his eyelid gone completely while his left side looked more like red and black muscle than it did skin while that single massive eye watched as they passed the man. Two-Face.

Next, she passed a blond man with a top hat and large yellow teeth sitting on his bed with a forlorn expression... Mad Hatter.

An extremely tall lanky man with red hair and wild eyes. Scarecrow.

A man with blue skin sitting with a snow globe in one hand. Mr. Freeze.

A clown that wore a purple suit with a lavender undershirt, green vest with a chain hanging down from his right pocket, green tie, with a purple coat thrown over it with a pair of dark purple gloves on his hands, and a pair of expensive looking shoes. His face was painted white, with dark rings around his eyes, his lips looked to have been slit open with red paint or even lipstick smeared over them and the slits like a clown's face, his teeth a dark smokers yellow color, his hair was disheveled and messy, while he had obviously rubbed green face paint into it for it's greenish tint. The Joker.

A young woman dressed in a red and black athletic leotard that has a harlequin pattern, with diamonds on her right shoulder, hip, and left forearm, a black leather belt around her waist with red diamond studs, on her left hand she wears a black leather fingerless glove with a studded bracelet with a red glove on her right, on her legs she wears a pair of mesh stockings with thigh length boots over those, the right one red the left black. Over her blond hair she wears a half black half red hood with her pigtails stuffed into two tassels that end with white puffs, with a dark red near black domino mask placed over her eyes, white makeup over her face with black lipstick and a white collar with three white puffs hanging down from it, one at the back, two at the front. Harley Quinn.

Moka wondered if this really was such a good idea after all. This was hardly a place she wanted do be at. Yet Arkham was the only place with employment vacancies in all of Gotham City. And she had to stay in Gotham for a while.

"Well, I'll be...what're you doing here, Warden?" Cash said suddenly.

Moka looked at Sharp, there was just something about him she was incapable of trusting. And what was he even doing in the cell block area?

"So you wish to join our fine mental reabilitation instatution, young lady?" Sharp asked.

Moka nodded.

"What are your qualifications?" the warden asked.

Moka then explained that she came from a family of psychologists and was, as a result, home-schooled in knowing how the insane think, which, considering her family, wasn't too far from the truth. After all...her so-called "sisters" Akuha and Kahlua, were prompt examples of that.

Sharp looked doubtful at that, but there was something in her words.

"Sure you can take it, we need all the help we can get with these psychos, and there's something about what you've been saying that makes me believe you, but the last time we had an intern, well...it was Quinn." Cash said.

"Then how about a trial run? Let me see if I can get through to one of the patients here before you decide." Moka proposed.

"Alright. Your funeral. Which one?" Cash asked.

"Waylon Jones." Moka said without any hesitation.

Cash and Sharp looked shocked at the choice. KILLER CROC?! WAS SHE CRAZY?!

"You're either brave or suisidal. And quite frankly, I don't wanna know which." Cash said bluntly.

"Indeed. That thing is nothing but a beast. You're MAD!" Sharp agreed.

Moka scowled "Well, no wonder you haven't been able to get through to him, all that kind of thinking dose is encourage the things that lead him to be sent here in the first place. He never asked for being the way he is and the way the world around him was is what caused the problem! If there's any trace of humanity in him under those kinds of psychological scars, I'll find it or die trying!"

"You're gutsy, I'll give you that, but you might actually take those words seriously." Cash warned.

"If I wasn't afraid to bet my life, why'd I come to Gotham?" the pink-haired teen asked.

"Point taken. I'll take you to where the records are being kept and we can begin this trial run of yours first thing tomarrow." Quincy Sharp said.

A few hours later, Moka carried home the background file of Waylon Jones in her book bag, along with another file she had smuggled out of the asylum with her, hidden inside of Waylon's own. One with the least pleasent news she'd gotten so far that day: The psychological profile of Warden Quincy sharp.

As it turned out, Sharp's family had a long military history but Sharp himself failed military academy and his application into the military was denied as well. According to a psychological profile, Sharp was a text book schizophrenic, essentially a blank slate to be molded by a puppet master. The man's psyche is so sensitive that just to operate he has to be instructed to do even the most basic task like 'go to bed' or 'hang up the phone', and to do his job he needed constant morale boosting speeches fed to him.

Fantastic...someone with psychological issues running an asylum..._And it was seen as prefectly acceptable! _

Moka shook her head...Only in Gotham...only in Gotham...she was looking forward to getting out of this city and never returning more and more. But she couldn't leave yet, not without him.

Getting to her indefinate 'home' she found something on her bed, a note that was clearly left while she was getting a job at Arkham Asylum. Picking it up, Moka's eyes widened and she froze, paling and trembeling all over. This...couldn't...be!

The slip of paper fell from her frozen hand and fluttered to the floor.

The note had a simple message:

_We know both who and what you are, as well as why you are in Gotham. Should you need our aid, come in your true state to the place indicated on this._

_Non nobis, Domine, non nobis_

An address followed.

What the...?! Who had left this?! More importantantly, whoever did knew what she was?! They were aware she was a vampire!? HOW?! And she thought the news about Sharp was bad!

This wasn't good...not at all!

* * *

**NA: I KNOW ITS BEEN A WHILE AND THIS CHAPTER LACKS A BATMAN SCENE, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE I WANTED TO THINK OF SOMETHING GOOD THAT SHOWS JUST HOW "SHADOW THE DARKEST KNIGHT" IS DIFFRENT FROM BATMAN, AND IT COULDN'T INCLUDE HIM. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE GOTHAM VILLANS, THEY WILL PLAY A MORE SIGNIFICANT ROLE LATER IN THE STORY.**

**ALSO, MY FRIEND ON THIS SITE, ASPYGIRLREDO HAS A STORY CHALLENGE THAT THEY ASKED ME TO ADVERTISE. HERE'S THE SUMMERY AND THE RULES:**

'** Challenge:** We all know that Tsukune goes to Youkai Academy but what about his older cousin Kyouko?! What if Kyouko also went to Youkai Academy, the year before Tsukune and met Gin?! What if she didn't know Tsukune was coming to Youkai Academy until it was too late?!

**Rules****:**

1) Kyouko must be paired with Gin.

2) Tsukune must be paired with at least Moka, Harem pairing preferred.

3) Kyouko and Tsukune must start at Youkai Academy as humans.

4) Kyouko may become a werewolf.

5) Gin and Kyouko must not successfully deal with Kuyou and the Safety Commission in their first year, but can help Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu and Yukari in defeating them in the second year.

6) Like all my challenges you must **NOT **abandon this story, if you accept my challenge your in for the long-haul.

7) Finally have fun! '

**IF YOU ACCEPT IT, LET ASPYGIRLREDO KNOW ABOUT IT.**


End file.
